"HERE WE ARE," SAID her father, pulling the push door on accident. she snorted a little at his mistake, and he just sighed. earlier, they went back home to change and eat dinner.
when she was younger, they used to go here every weekend. it was something she enjoyed doing, not quite like a hobby, but more like a summer refreshment. the night was hot, and the wind was the only escape from the heat.
"they're out of melon pan?!" she exclaimed in horror. "no way."
"don't be silly," said her dad, pointing to a fresh tray. they were in plastic packages with cute designs. [name] picked out a few and got a pain au chocolat for chuuya.
"looks like they improved their baking, hm?" said [name], biting down on the sweet pastry. funnily enough, it never tastes like an actual melon. her dad nodded quietly, eating his custard. her eyes took a screenshot of the lively city they were in, noticing a neon sign with kanji that spelled out 'CLOSED'. yokohama was truly beautiful, and they were lucky to witness it, like ares seeing aphrodite's cursed body, made from the ancient foam of sea and time, deadly beauty that could seduce, kill, and betray.
just like how yokohama had three main divisions: the special division for unusual powers, the armed detective agency, and the port mafia; all were deadly in their way, and claimed the bounty of lives possibly each day.
the [hair color]-haired girl had lived on edge her entire life, always being cautious and neutral about each situation with potential danger, and she never got the chance to sit down and fully breathe in the world around her. "dad," she said gently. "let's go to the garden."
"alright," he said at last, as if he, too, were taking time to repose. "let's go."
the evergreens in the garden were gorgeous.
they stood on their own all these years, through all four seasons, like a true beast of nature. the garden was decorated with a fountain and silly starflowers were embedded in the grass. "hey. did you know?"
"know what?"
"if you lay down on the grass," said [name], getting up from the swing, "you can hear the heartbeat of the earth." her hair spread out when she lay on the soft blades. "do you hear it?"
her dad laid down next to her, resting his arm on his stomach. "i can hear it. that's odd."
"i know, right?" she replied
"want to hear a story?"
"go ahead."
"once, there was a glorious kingdom established among the heave—"
"not that one!" she slapped her father on the shoulder playfully.
"alright, fine. have you heard the legend of hachishakusama?"
"slightly... the eight-foot woman, right?"
"correct. only the children targeted can see and hear her, as she utters 'po' over and over. when she chooses a victim, the target disappears soon after. she can imitate the voices of family members, friends, even lovers, to target little kids and... well, i don't know what happens after," said her father in a spooky tone.
"i've heard of this before," she deadpanned. why does this sound like something dazai would do? she thought. "you always told me that story before i went to sleep."
"you must've forgotten her name, then," he laughed. "let's go, it's getting late."
finally, she thought, her plan hatching inside the shell of her mind. "alright."
the pair stood up and walked home, the sun disappearing into the horizon. a few stars made it's appearance and twinkled in the sky.
"you two went out again, huh?" her mother said in amusement, playfully poking [name] with a chopstick. she was cooking tomorrow's dinner.
"ow!" she replied, though it didn't really hurt. her mother's hangover was over, she was relieved. "i'm going to sleep now. goodnight!"
the two of them said goodnight back to her and gave her uncomfortable hugs. paying no mind to it, she brushed her teeth, bathed, and flopped onto her office chair, spinning around.
[name] reached for a notecard and a pen, shaking it before uncapping it and starting to write her plan out. before that, she had to map out what time her parents slept, the weather, and what to take with her on the way.
» RUNNING AWAY «
1. i am doing this for my parent's safety.
2. i need to escape the port mafia.
3. i'm running away to suribachi city.
4. alternate: kawasaki city
MOM SLEEP ; 10 pm
DAD SLEEP ; 11 pm
WEATHER ; 70℉ (clear and windy)
ESCAPE ROUTE: sakura tree
how?: climb down with my pack and leave a note
what to pack?: clothes, emergency food, waterbottle, phone, portable
charger, charger, bag itself, lip balm, lip gloss, lotion, hand sanitizer,
money, notebook, pens
bag to use?: the pack that i bought a while back and was never in the
sight of parents nor did i use it
LEAVE TIME: 11:30 pm
"i'm sorry," she whispered to herself. "i'm so sorry. i'm gonna miss you guys."
it fell late shortly, and it was 11:25 pm. she slipped out of her bed, set her phone to low power mode, put in her pack, and closed it. she was dressed in a black zip-up hoodie, black cargos, black gloves, and black converse. pulling her hood over her head and putting a black mask on, she pulled open the window and sat on the rowan tree for a few moments to think.
time to go.
she shut the window and started to climb down the sakura. luckily, she had climbed the tree many times as a child, up and down. a cherry blossom tree symbolizes 'new beginnings.'
and now, she would leave her beloved city and start a new beginning.
she slipped a bit on the branches, being careful not to rip out any petals as it would give hints to her disappearance. she slid down to the bottom and made sure no guards were patrolling the mansion. the coast was clear. she climbed onto a stone statue of a kitsune to get past the walls bordering her home. the gloves will leave no fingerprints, and my shoes are clean. no mudprints, she thought, relieved. the teenager headed down the road and out of the neighborhood, which led her into the main city. next stop; suribachi city.
YOU ARE READING
DARK RED ‣ d. osamu
Mystery / Thrilleryou had teased him as a child. you met him for the first time while walking on the sidewalk with your parents. he took your teasing as a heavy insult. your parents are still alive. you had gone to school with him before he disappeared momentarily. t...
